Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1887-07-26

from the tube consists oil Two paris
a wooden tailpiece iifty-one inches long
which guides the projeetile IN rs
FIGHT: and a head. The forward po'-
ton or head is brass cylinder forty
inches long, having conicai cap
! forty inches long, In the tube ore
placed one hundred pounds OF eNplosi e
relatine. through the center OF wni.n
extends core of dynamite; and in the
center of the dynamite, again, is an
explodcr of illuminate OF mercury,
from which rod leads TO the point o,
the cap. As soon as the latter strikes
an object, the charge eNplodes. IN
order that the charge may be exploded,
|. in cnse of failure of the above arrange
ment, a dry battery, placed in n little
recess in the tailpiece of che cartridge,
Is connected with the illuminate cx-
ploder. The battery begins to work
upon being brought into contact with
water. and the gelatine is then OK
ploded
For K is for naval warfare, in the
first place, that the pneumatic gun %,
Lieutenant Zalinski is intended. And
IL must be admitted that, while the
United States are still without the NUS"
needed ships. Notifications and heavy
1 runs. which would place the country
/ on u level with other naval powers,
these pneumatic guns will form
| very efficient defensive weapons.
Besides mounting them on points
along the coast liable to at
tack by hostile fleet, they are to
be employed in more decisive way.
/ 1t is admitted that the range of pneu-
matte guns is limited rs compared with
powder guns. An encmy's fleet might
! lie beyond the rang fpnemmatic guns,
/ and lombard American ports and cities
with impunity. But it is suggested,
and appears perfectly feasible, TO mount
pneumatic guns on fast sea-going tor
pedo-boats. With such boats, aggres-
| sive action of very decided and de-
| cisive character would be possible.
Boats have been designed two hundred
and ten feet long by twenty-six feet
! beam. carrying from one to three oi
these guns, of calibers of from ten and
/ a half to twelve ami a half inches. The
speeds of torpedo-boats so armed are Il
! be from twenty To twenty-five miles II,
hour. The shells are to be thrown Al
least one mile, and TO contain from tws
1 hundred to five hundred pounds of cX-
plosiye gelatine, the rapidity of firing
| them being from one to two shells every
two minutes.
The effect of such shells upon even
,he strongest ironclads would be irrre-
sistible. If dropped upon the deck of
| an enemy's ironclad. they would cer-
tainly crush it, for their action would
I not be confined to y simple local per-
forauon, but the crushing in would en-
sue over considerable breadth. Be
sides the direct breaking action at the
point of impact, the e would be very
! rreat transmitted shock, which would
aeek out and break up the ship at all
weak points in the vicinity. The decks
even of the most heavily armored YES
sells have less than six inches of arnor
and they present by far the greater
portion of the target fired at More
over, the most heavily armored ships.
I leaving ont of account their decks, have
/ but small proportion of the entire
surface covered with heavy armor.
Should the shell strike the portions of
the armoring too thick for perforation
the tremendous blow, as stated above,
would seek out the neighboring weak
! points by the transmitted shock. II
might be assumed as%lmost certain
that the effect of exploding a large
quantity of dynamite or explosive gela-
tine upon the turret or the casemate OF
a ship would be such as TO render the
crew inside incapable for further ac.
ton. even if the armor We're not pene-
tratcd. Surprising. also, that the shell
should fail to hit the vessel, if it eS
ploaed near enough, even if its explo.
sion were not sufficient to disrupt the
hull, il would certainly affect the mo
tive power and the steering apparatu:
and thus practically paralyzc the ship
Whilst twelve and 4 half inches is a
present the limit o. caliber, there i
nothing TO hinder tn" construction Of ;
E"h VI elNteth anu Hdl lHcu citll)tf
and such gun co ld throw charg,
OF one thousand :nds of explosiv,
gelatiue. The effect of snch fearful
missile exploding board ship ha,
better be left to the lagination; but i
is well to bear in Ind that THROWN.
uch charges long distances has be
come perfectly practicable by the intro
ducton of the pncum2tic gun Cham
, | hcl.S' I0nrlfni